Door closer



June 4, 1935. R. s. POTTER 2,003,669

DOOR CLOSER Filed Feb. 4, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I7 I l5 8 I4 INVENTOR.

X35: P tter BY M ATTORNEYS.

June 4, 1935. s POTTER 2,003,669

DOOR CLOSER Fild Feb. 4, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. /f. 6. A, fer

A TTORNEYS.

June 4, 1935. R PQTTER" I 2,003,669

DOOR CLOSER Filed Feb. 4. 1932 s Sheeig-Sheet s ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 4, 1935 UNITED STATES 2,003,669 noon CLOSER Robert S. Potter; Greenwich, Conn., assignor to The Yale &' Towne Mfg. 00., Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application February 4,

1932, Serial No. 590,879

4 Claims. (01. 16-51) This invention relates to a door closer of the concealed type, and more especially a door closer adapted to be fitted into the top of a hollow metal door'and to be entirely concealedin that door.

5' Concealed door closers have been'known for many-years, and there are numerous patents in the art illustrating mechanisms of varioustypes. However, the average commercial hollow metal 7 door is 1%" thick at its upper panel, and it has 10'been'a practical impossibility to design a door closer which would operate eflicientlyyand at the .same time couldbe made to occupy the upper panel of a door having such limited thickness;

My invention has for its object the designof a' 1 door closer of the above type in which a high ratio of operating efljciency will be obtained by a door closing mechanism which will havea con struction of a simple type and adapted "to fit into the upper panel of a relatively narrow door More particularly, it is the object of my invention to design a door closer of the particular type in which the necessary power for the closing ac tion will be obtained by a pair of relatively powerful springs. acting through racks on a pinion secured to the door closer operating shaft.

the relation of the springs to the shaft being such that their lateral thrusts against the sha f't -are neutralized, while their rotating torques relatively to the pinion on the shaft are cumulative. It is through this conception of apower mechanism for the door closer, that the particular mecha: nism achieves its great operating efficiency and lasting qualities. V 4 Further objects of the invention, and further meritorious improvements will be described in the following specification in which I shall particularlyindicate aprefe'rred embodiment of my in vention, although it should be understood that modifications of the same within the scope of the appended claims will readily occur to those skilled in the art. p i

In the drawings wherein is'shown a preferred modification of my invention, Fig. l is a perspective view showing a door equippedwithiny door closer, and standing in an open position. Fig. 2

shows the door in full linesin its open position,

and 9-9 of Fig. 8. Fig. 101s a'partial view similar'to Fig. 3 showing the door closing mechanism in its closed position. 1 Referring now more-particularly to the drawings," reference numeral [0 indicates a door hinged at l I and equipped with a concealed door closer casing l2 an upper hollow panel [3. The door closer'is equipped with a shaft H to Which is secured the door closing arm l5 by a threaded nut 18 as will be readily seen in the drawings. A second door closing arm I! is pivotedat l8 to the closing arm l5 and at a point 20 in an obtruded member ZI of the door frame 22. As will' be readily seen from Figs. 1 and 2, when the door is iniclosedposi'tionthe arms l5 and H occupy theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig.2; As the door moves to an open position with a possible rotation approximately the arms move to'the full'line position illustrated'in Fig. 2 as will be quite clear to those skilled in theart. i

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3, 4, and 6; themain door closing shaft I4 is held in positionby a bearing 23 held in screw threaded relation to the top plate 24 of the door closer casing J2, and by a further bearing stud 25 secured to a bottom re-enforcing plate126 and the bottom plate 21 of the'door closer-casing as will readily appear. Integral with'theshaft is a pinion 28 which is maintained in operating relationship to a pair of spring-pressed racks129and29 actuated by the compression springs 3|! and 3| for rotating the shaft in a clockwise direction as will readily appear from Fig. 4. I

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that the pressure of rack ZSaga'inst thepinion 28 will tend not only to rotate the pinion and shaft [4, but will also createa lateral side-pressure against thebearings of the shaft M. "The opposite thrust of the rack 29' will, however, offset this lateral thrust jof the rack 29,while at the same time, the turning torque created by rack 29' relatively to the pinion 28 will be cumulative with the turning torque of rack 29. It will be readily appreelated that this construction, makes it possible to utilize the cumulative turning torques of the two springs occupying the relatively narrow door closer casing to such advantage that it ispossible to obtain the very substantial turning [torque necessary, while at the same time, thelateral thrusts against the bearingsof shaft I l are reduced to a practical minimum whereby to render thedoor closerextremely efiieient. v

The springs 30 and Q I are maintainedin their operating positions by cooperation with the turned-up ends of the separator plate 32 dividing the upper and lower chambers of the door closer, and by their relation to the shafts 33 and 33 secured to the plate 32 at one end and fixed at their other ends to plates 34 and 35, which in turn are held between the upper plate 24 of the door closer casing, and the separator plate 32.

As will be readily appreciated, opening movement of the door from the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 2' to the full line illustrated in that same figure, and in Fig. 1, will rotate the door closing shaft 4, and with it the pair of racks 29 and 29, from the position of Fig. 10 to the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, so as to place the springs 30 and 3| under compression. It will be obvious that when the door is released, the springs 30 and 3| will act on the racks 29 and 29 to rotate the door closing shaft I4: in a reverse direction and into door closing, position.

It is further obvious that unless some means are provided for slowing up the action of these springsthe door willbe closed with a very fast motion bringing the same forcefully up/ against the door frame. For preventing; this swift action, my concealeddoorcloser is equipped with a liquid checking mechanism located: entirely beneath. the separator plate 32 and comprising aliquid containing chamber 36 which is intended to-be filled with oil or other liquid to be used for checking the door closing movement as will be explained below:

The door closer shaft I4: is. equipped with a second pinion 31 operating in the chamber 36 and cooperating with a rack 33. integral with a cross. arm 39 to-which is secured by a bolt 40:, av

cylinder 4| for movement therewith. A fixed piston 42. is securely held in: the compartment 36-by a pair of screws 43' although other means may be utilized as will bereadily appreciated, by those skilled in the art. This pistonv 42' has a hollow chamber 43, and a passage 44, the entrance to which is covered by a screen 45., The passage 44: leads to a" valve seat 46 which is controlled by a ball valve 41:, cooperating with. a screw stud 48. for limiting the movement of the ball.

Fig. 10, which illustrates the closed: position of the door closing mechanism, shows the hollow cylinder 41 ahnost inabutting relation to the base-of the stationary piston 42-. As will be readily understood, rotating movement of the door closing shaft l4 to compress the,- closing springs- 30 and 3| will act to move the cylinder 4| into the position of Fig. 3. The chamber 36- being" always full of oil, such movement acts toforce the oilinto the passage 44 through the. screen 45 and against the ball 4-|-,v which. is readily lifted out of the way, and into the hollow pore tion- 43 of the stationary piston 42,v and into the hollow chamber of cylinder 4|. When the door isreleased for closing movement by the action of the springs 30 and3|-,,it will be. readily understood that the shaft l4 will be rotated in a direction soas toforce the cylinder 4| back toits position relatively to the stationarypiston 42 as illustrated in Fig. 10.. It will be further Referring to Figs. 8 and 9, there is shown a passageway 49 through which the fluid is forced from passage 43, upon movement of the cylinder 4| to the right from its open position illustrated in Fig. 3. A further passageway 59 communicates with the passage 49 through a valve 5| which may be readily adjusted to control the flow of the fluid through the combined passages 43, 43 and 50 and out through a port 52 in the stationary piston 42. The adjustment of the fluid flow, and therefore the door closing speed, by the valve 5|, is operative for approximately 95% of the travel of the cylinder 4| incidental to the closing movement of the door. Fig. 8 illustrates the operation of the cylinder 4| whereby when the door has moved about 95% of its closing movement, the port 52 becomes closed, so that it is no longer possible for the fluid to escape through the port. There is, therefore, provided a further port 53 in the piston 42 through which the fluid will flow after it is stopped from further escape through the port 52.. The escape through the port 53 is controlledv by a further valve 54 which is called the latchspeed portv adjusting valve because it becomes effective only at the point where the door is about to latch, and isadapted to control the speed of thedoor at that point only.

From the description of the invention, as it is set forth, it will be quite clear to those skilled in the art, that opening movement of the door operates to rotate the shaft I4 against the compression of the springs 30 and 3|, and that when the; door is released, those springs will operate to rotate the shaft in a reverse direction. It should be further understood that the opening movement of the, shaft M will operate the rack 38 through the additional pinion 31 so as to draw the cylinder 4| from its closed position in Fig. 10-to its open position of Fig. 3. Closing movement of the cylinder back to its position: of Fig. 1.0 will be resisted by the fluid occupying the hollow cylinder and the piston passageway 43, and,

the speed of approximately 95% of the closing movement will be controlled by the speed of the flow through the passageways 49, 50 and the port 52 as determined by the general speed valve 5|.

The latch speed will be controlled by a port53 through. whichthe fluid-will escape as determined by thev additional valve 54 called the latch-speed port adjusting valve, once port 52 is closed by the cylinder 4|.

I claim:

1. In-a door closer,.a vertical main shaft, a pair of. horizontally spring pressed racks, a pinion on said shaft, said racks being in engagement with said pinion and spring pressed in opposite lateral directions whereby tocounter-act the thrusts of each other against the shaft, said racks being at diametrically opposite sides of said pinion so as to contribute cumulative turning torques thereto, a second pinion on said shaft, and a piston connected for movement by said second pinion against fluid pressure whereby to resist the action of said spring pressed racks.

2., A door closer having upper and lower chambers separated by a plate, a shaft traversing said chambers and having a bearing in each of them, a pair of pinions on said shaft, one carried in each of said chambers, a pair of oppositely spring pressed racks cooperable with opposite sides of said upper chamber pinion, and a. rack carrying a check mechanism cooperable with said lower chamber pinion.

3. In a door closer, a main door closer shaft, a

closed end sleeve secured for movement with said shaft, a second closed end sleeve in continuous telescopic relation to said first sleeve, the open ends of said sleeves being located at their meeting ends, the closed ends of said sleeves being at their opposite ends, and adapted to define the ends of a cylindrical chamber, in effect, formed by the cylindrical sides of said sleeves and by said two ends, a fluid in the variable chamber defined by said sleeves, a pair of passages in said second sleeve through both of which fluid may flow during telescopic relative movement of said sleeves, one of said passages being so located as to be covered by said first sleeve after predeter-l mined movement thereof, whereby to force said fluid through said second passage thereafter.

4. In a door closer, a main shaft, a sleeve movable therewith to resist closing movement, a stationary sleeve continuously telescoped within the first sleeve and about which said sleeve is mounted for bearing movement, said inner sleeve having an internal passage forming with said outer movable sleeve a variable chamber, liquid in said chamber to resist telescoping relative movement of said sleeves, a pair of valve passages in said inner sleeve through which said fluid flows during said sleeve movement, said movable sleeve being operable to close one of said valve passages after a considerable closing movement of the door whereby to force the liquid through said second valve passage, and means for adjusting said valve passages.

ROBERT S. POTTER. 

